The present invention relates to a benchmark placed on a storage media. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a benchmark that is indicative of the data originally stored on the storage media, whereby changes therefrom may be detected.
Storage media, and in particular re-writeable storage media, is at times shipped from a storage media manufacturer/distributor with pre-determined data already stored thereon. For example, the data may be one or more software programs, one or more data structures, one or more data files, and/or the like. Likewise, the re-writeable storage media may be a magnetic or optical in nature, and may be a tape, a disk, or the like. Moreover, the storage media may be read-only, write-only, read-write, or the like, as appropriate.
Once the storage media is shipped with the already-stored data, though, such storage media is quite obviously out of the hands of the manufacturer/distributor, who is then powerless to prevent anyone from making changes to the stored data on the storage media. Accordingly, it is oftentimes useful after shipment of the storage media to determine whether the data on the storage media has changed as compared with the originally shipped data. In addition, during production of the storage media with the data thereon based on a master version, it is useful at various points during the production process to confirm that the data on the storage media has not changed as compared with the data copied from the master.
Accordingly, a need exists for a benchmark that is placed on the storage media and that is closely tied to the master. Thus, reference may be made to the benchmark at various times to determine whether the data on the storage media has changed as compared with the data copied from the master.
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned need by providing, among other things, a method of controlling use of copying software on a computer, wherein the computer includes a hardware ID (xe2x80x9cHWIDxe2x80x9d). In the method, a hard-coded identifier is accessed from within the copying software when the copying software is launched, and the HWID of the computer is also accessed. The HWID is compared with the hard-coded identifier, and a copying function proceeds only if the HWID and the hard-coded identifier match.
The present invention also provides a method of copying data from a master storage media (xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d) for copying such data to a copied-to storage media. In the method, the data on the master is read into a master image file, and the master image file is manipulated to include a benchmark comprising tracking and verification information tied to at least a portion of the master image file. Thus, a copied-to storage media as copied from the master image file also includes such benchmark, a data alteration of the master image file causes a mis-match with regard to the benchmark in such master image file, and a data alteration of the copied-to storage media also causes a mis-match with regard to the benchmark in such storage media as copied from such master image file.
To verify the master image file, an image data file with a data structure corresponding to the master image file is accessed, where the corresponding data structure includes a checksum corresponding to the master image file. The checksum from the corresponding data structure in the image data file is accessed and employed to verify that the accessed master image file is not corrupted.
To copy the master image file to a copied-to storage media, a part identifier is accessed from the master image file, and an image data file with a data structure corresponding to the master image file is accessed, where the corresponding data structure includes a part identifier corresponding to the master image file. The part identifier from the corresponding data structure in the image data file is accessed and compared with the master image file part identifier; and copying proceeds only if the master image file part identifier matches the image data file part identifier.
In addition, a checksum of at least a portion of the master image file is performed to produce a produced checksum. A checksum from the master image file is accessed and compared with the produced checksum, and the copy proceeds only if the master image file checksum matches the produced checksum.
To compare the master image file to a copied-to storage media copied from the master image file, a part identifier is accessed from the storage media, and an image data file with a data structure corresponding to the master image file is accessed, where the corresponding data structure includes a part identifier corresponding to the master image file. The part identifier from the corresponding data structure in the image data file is accessed and compared with the storage media part identifier, and the compare proceeds only if the storage media part identifier matches the image data file part identifier.
In addition, a checksum of at least a portion of the storage media is performed to produce a produced checksum. A checksum from the storage media is accessed and compared with the produced checksum, and the compare proceeds only if the storage media checksum matches the produced checksum.
The invention prevents any unauthorized file image content from being copied to a production disk during the production thereof. In addition, the invention prevents the copying of an image to a production disk if such image was modified after the creation thereof. Further, the invention provides a method and mechanism to determine whether the data on a production disk has been accessed by a computer operating system or otherwise modified; thus for example allowing returned disks to be re-sold as new.